CN106922138B

CN106922138B - Kneading machine, kneading system, and method for producing kneaded product

Info

Publication number: CN106922138B
Application number: CN201480083402.0A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 浦上庆民; 吾川二郎; 森部高司; 野口晋一
Original assignee: Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Machinery Systems Co Ltd
Current assignee: Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Machinery Systems Co Ltd
Priority date: 2014-11-17
Filing date: 2014-11-17
Publication date: 2019-12-17
Anticipated expiration: 2034-11-17
Also published as: KR20170068552A; US10413876B2; KR102095173B1; US20160325249A1; KR20190045421A; JPWO2016079783A1; DE112014007177T5; CN106922138A; WO2016079783A1; DE112014007177B4; JP6221194B2

Abstract

The invention provides a mixing mill, a mixing system and a method for manufacturing a mixing product. A kneading machine (2) according to the present invention comprises: a pair of rotors (44) arranged with a gap (SP2) therebetween; a housing (45) having a chamber (C2) in which a pair of rotors (44) are arranged, an inlet (51) for introducing a material to be kneaded (W) into the chamber (C2), and an outlet (52) for discharging the material to be kneaded (W) from the chamber (C2); a sensor (80) which is arranged above the pair of rotors (44) and detects the position of the material to be kneaded (W) or the variation of the pressure; and a control unit (82) that controls the rotation of the pair of rotors (44) on the basis of the detection result of the sensor (80).

Description

Kneading machine, kneading system, and method for producing kneaded product

Technical Field

the present invention relates to a kneading machine for kneading a material to be kneaded, a kneading system provided with the kneading machine, and a method for producing a kneaded product.

Background

A kneading machine is generally known which kneads a material to be kneaded, for example, in which various additives are mixed into raw rubber by rotating a pair of rotors in a casing to produce a kneaded rubber which is a material of a rubber product.

In the kneading machine, the pair of rotors rotate in different directions from each other, and the material to be kneaded is pushed into the gap between the pair of rotors to be kneaded.

Here, since the materials of the materials to be kneaded differ in plasticity and the like, there is a possibility that the materials to be kneaded cannot be sufficiently kneaded even if the kneading machines are operated under the same conditions for all the materials to be kneaded. Therefore, for example, in the invention described in patent document 1, the power consumption in the kneading machine is corrected, and the kneading is efficiently performed according to the material of the material to be kneaded.

Prior art documents

patent document

patent document 1: japanese patent laid-open publication No. Hei 4-201521

Summary of the invention

Technical problem to be solved by the invention

however, in the kneading machine described in patent document 1, since the operation of the kneading machine is not controlled depending on the state of the material to be kneaded during kneading, it is difficult to determine whether or not sufficient kneading has been performed regardless of the material to be kneaded.

here, the material to be kneaded is smoothly pushed into the gap between the pair of rotors in kneading depending on the material of the material to be kneaded, and the rotors do not bite into the material to be kneaded, and a part of the material to be kneaded is retained on the upper part of the rotors and rises upward. In this case, since the mixing of the material to be mixed cannot be sufficiently performed, a method of accurately judging such a state and reflecting it to the mixing is required.

The invention provides a mixing machine, a mixing system and a manufacturing method of mixing products, which can inhibit mixing defects caused by the rise of the mixed materials and can perform appropriate mixing according to the different materials of the mixed materials.

Means for solving the technical problem

A kneading machine according to a first embodiment of the present invention includes: a pair of rotors arranged with a gap therebetween; a casing having a chamber in which the pair of rotors are arranged, an inlet for introducing the kneaded material into the chamber, and an outlet for discharging the kneaded material from the chamber; a sensor which is arranged above the pair of rotors and detects a change in position or pressure of the material to be kneaded; and a control unit that controls rotation of the pair of rotors based on a detection result of the sensor.

According to this type of kneading machine, when the rotor is raised upward without biting into a part of the material to be kneaded while the material to be kneaded is introduced into the chamber and kneading is performed, the position of the raised part changes as the material to be kneaded. The sensor detects the positional change, and the occurrence of the rising portion can be detected by the sensor. Further, since the material to be kneaded is not kneaded in the rising portion, the material to be kneaded generates pressure fluctuation in the portion. The occurrence of the rising portion can be detected by the sensor by detecting the pressure fluctuation with the sensor.

therefore, by controlling the rotation of the rotors by the control unit based on the detection result of the sensor, the rising portion of the kneaded material can be engaged between the pair of rotors.

In a kneading machine according to a second embodiment of the present invention, the sensor of the first embodiment may detect a position of the kneaded material in a vertical direction.

Such a sensor can detect the occurrence of a rising portion of the kneaded material. Further, by controlling the rotation of the rotors by the control section based on the detection result of the sensor, the rising portion of the material to be kneaded can be caused to bite between the pair of rotors, and more appropriate kneading can be performed.

In the kneading machine according to the third embodiment of the present invention, the control unit of the second embodiment may change the rotation speeds of the pair of rotors in accordance with a cycle of positional variation of the kneaded material in the vertical direction.

In this way, the number of rotations of the rotors is increased or decreased according to the period of the positional variation of the kneaded material in the vertical direction, that is, the variation in the height position of the top of the rising portion, whereby the rising portion of the kneaded material can be caused to bite between the pair of rotors, and more appropriate kneading can be performed.

In a kneading machine according to a fourth aspect of the present invention, the sensor according to any one of the first to third aspects may be configured to detect a positional variation of the kneaded material in a horizontal direction intersecting a vertical direction, and the control unit may control the rotation of the pair of rotors in accordance with the positional variation of the kneaded material in the horizontal direction.

By performing such control, the rising portion of the material to be kneaded can be more effectively engaged between the pair of rotors, and more appropriate kneading can be performed.

a kneading machine according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention further includes a movable weight that blocks the introduction port according to the first embodiment, and the sensor detects a pressure variation of the kneaded material by detecting a pressure variation acting on the movable weight due to the kneaded material.

When the mixture rises, the pressure applied to the movable weight increases as the mixture pushes against the movable weight. Therefore, by detecting the pressure fluctuation acting on the movable weight, the occurrence of the rising portion of the kneaded material can be detected, and by controlling the rotation of the rotors by the control unit based on the detection result of the sensor, the rising portion of the kneaded material can be caused to bite between the pair of rotors, and more appropriate kneading can be performed.

A kneading machine according to a sixth embodiment of the present invention further includes a movable weight that blocks the introduction port according to the first embodiment, and the sensor detects pressure fluctuations in the kneaded material by detecting vertical displacement of the movable weight.

When the mixture rises, the mixture pushes the movable weight, and the movable weight is pushed upward, so that the position of the movable weight is changed. Therefore, by detecting the vertical displacement of the movable weight, it is possible to detect the occurrence of pressure fluctuation of the kneaded material, that is, the occurrence of an increase in the kneaded material, and by controlling the rotation of the rotors by the control unit based on the detection result of the sensor, it is possible to cause the rising portion of the kneaded material to bite between the pair of rotors, and more appropriate kneading can be performed.

A kneading system according to a seventh embodiment of the present invention includes the above-described kneader as a first kneader and a second kneader disposed above or below the first kneader, and 1 of the first kneader and the second kneader is introduced into the other and further kneaded.

According to this kneading system, when the rotor is raised upward without biting into a part of the material to be kneaded during kneading by the first kneader, the occurrence of the raised part can be detected by a sensor based on a change in the position or pressure of the material to be kneaded. Therefore, by controlling the rotation of the rotors by the control unit based on the detection result of the sensor, the rising portion of the kneaded material can be caused to bite between the pair of rotors.

A method of manufacturing a kneaded product according to an eighth embodiment of the present invention includes: an introducing step of introducing the kneaded material from the inlet to a chamber in which a pair of rotors arranged with a gap therebetween are disposed; a kneading step of kneading the kneaded material introduced into the chamber by the pair of rotors; a detection step of detecting a change in position or pressure of the kneaded material disposed between the pair of rotors and the introduction port while the kneaded material is being kneaded; and an adjustment step of adjusting the rotation of the pair of rotors based on the detection result in the detection step, and performing the detection step and the adjustment step while continuing the kneading step to produce a kneaded product.

according to this method for producing a kneaded product, when the rotor rises upward without biting into a part of the material to be kneaded during kneading, the occurrence of the rising part can be detected from the position of the material to be kneaded or the variation in pressure. Therefore, by adjusting the rotation of the rotors based on the detection result of the sensor, the rising portion of the kneaded material can be caused to bite between the pair of rotors.

Effects of the invention

According to the kneading machine, the kneading system, and the method for producing a kneaded product, kneading can be appropriately performed according to the material of the material to be kneaded while suppressing kneading failure caused by the rise of the material to be kneaded.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view showing the overall configuration of a kneading system according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a diagram showing a state of a material to be kneaded in the kneading system according to the first embodiment of the present invention, and is an enlarged view of a main portion of fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a flowchart showing steps of a method for producing a kneaded product by kneading a material to be kneaded by the kneading system according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 4 is a diagram illustrating a process flow in the control unit when the detection step and the adjustment step in the method for producing a kneaded product are executed by the kneading system according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 5 is a diagram illustrating a process flow in the control unit when the detection step and the adjustment step in the kneading method for kneading the materials to be kneaded are executed by the kneading system according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 6 is a longitudinal sectional view showing the overall configuration of a kneading system according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

Detailed Description

[ first embodiment ]

A kneading system 1 according to a first embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to fig. 1 and 2.

The kneading system 1 of the present embodiment is a tandem type kneading apparatus including 2 kneaders 2 connected up and down.

Here, the lower kneader 2 serves as a lower kneader (first kneader) 43, and the upper kneader 2 serves as an upper kneader (second kneader) 3.

in the kneading system 1, a material to be kneaded W containing, for example, raw rubber or the like is kneaded by the upper kneader 3, and then introduced into the lower kneader 43 to be further kneaded, thereby finally producing a kneaded product W1.

The upper kneader 3 includes: a pair of rotors 4 arranged in a horizontal direction orthogonal to the vertical direction; a housing 5 surrounding the rotor 4; a lifting door 24 and a movable weight 33, which are arranged on the housing 5; and a driving part 36 for operating the movable weight 33.

The pair of rotors 4 are horizontally arranged with a gap SP1 therebetween. Each rotor 4 extends in the horizontal direction by a power source not shown, and is a columnar shape rotatable about axes O1, O2 orthogonal to the horizontal direction and parallel to each other. These rotors 4 rotate in opposite directions to each other (refer to the rotation direction R of fig. 2). That is, in normal operation, the portions of the outer peripheral surfaces of the pair of rotors 4 located at the uppermost portions rotate toward the gap SP1 so as to approach each other.

The housing 5 includes a main body 10 surrounding the pair of rotors 4, a drive unit support 15 extending upward from the main body 10, and a lift gate support 19 extending downward from the main body 10.

The main body 10 is formed with a chamber C1 in which the pair of rotors 4 are arranged, an inlet 11 for introducing the kneaded material W into the chamber C1, and an outlet 12 for discharging the kneaded material W from the chamber C1.

The chamber C1 is formed as a substantially elliptical space so as to surround each rotor 4 from the outer peripheral side.

The introduction port 11 opens at the upper portion of the chamber C1, extends straight upward and penetrates the main body 10, and communicates the chamber C1 with the outside of the main body 10.

The discharge port 12 opens at the lower portion of the chamber C1, extends downward through the main body 10, and communicates the chamber C1 with the outside of the main body 10. In the present embodiment, the discharge port 12 is formed so that its diameter gradually increases as it goes downward.

The drive unit support portion 15 supports a drive unit 36 (details will be described later), has a cylindrical portion 16, extends upward from the main body portion 10 outside the introduction port 11, i.e., so as to surround the introduction port 11, and includes a material inlet door (not shown); and a lid 17 covering the cylindrical portion 16 from above and having a through hole 18 formed vertically at a position above the introduction port 11.

The lift gate support portion 19 has: a cylindrical portion 20 having a cylindrical shape, extending downward from the body portion 10 outside the discharge port 12, and also extending in the direction of the axes O1 and O2; a pair of plate-like portions 21 connected to the lower portion of the cylindrical portion 20 and extending in a direction away from each other in the horizontal direction.

The lift gate 24 has: a rotation support portion 25 rotatably attached to the cylindrical portion 20 around an axis O3 parallel to the axes O1 and O2 of the rotor 4 on one side of the cylindrical portion 20 in the horizontal direction; the door portion 28 is integrally provided on the pivot support portion 25 and can open and close the discharge port 12 from below in accordance with the pivoting of the pivot support portion 25.

Accordingly, the gate portion 28 is formed to be reduced in diameter in the direction of the chamber C1 in accordance with the diameter-expanded shape of the discharge port 12 in a state where the discharge port 12 is closed. A pair of curved surfaces 30 are formed at positions of the gate 28 facing the rotor 4 so as to curve along the inner peripheral surface of the chamber C1 and the outer peripheral surfaces of the pair of rotors 4 in a state where the gate 28 closes the discharge port 12, and the pair of curved surfaces 30 form a protruding portion 29 protruding toward the gap SP1 at a horizontal center portion.

the movable weight 33 is provided to open and close the introduction port 11 from above. Further, a pair of curved surfaces 35 are formed at positions of the movable weight 33 facing the rotors 4 so as to be curved along the inner peripheral surface of the chamber C1 and the outer peripheral surfaces of the pair of rotors 4 in a state where the movable weight 33 closes the introduction port 11, and the pair of curved surfaces 35 form a protruding portion 34 protruding toward the gap SP1 at a horizontal center portion.

The driving unit 36 includes a support rod 37 provided on the upper portion of the movable weight 33, an upper support portion 38 to which the support rod 37 is attached, and a pair of cylinders 39 attached to extend downward from the upper support portion 38.

The support rod 37 is provided integrally with the movable weight 33, extends upward, is inserted through the through hole 18 formed in the lid 17 of the housing 5, and projects upward from the lid 17.

The upper support portion 38 supports the upper end of the support rod 37 by a fixing member 40 such as a nut. The upper support portion 38 is disposed above the cylindrical portion 16 and the lid portion 17 so as to cover the cylindrical portion 16 and the lid portion 17.

The pair of cylinders 39 are interposed between the horizontally outward surface of each cylindrical portion 16 and the horizontally opposite end positions of the lower surface of the upper support portion 38. These cylinders 39 can move the upper support portion 38 relative to the cylindrical portion 16 in the vertical direction by expansion and contraction.

As the upper support portion 38 moves up and down, the support rod 37 moves up and down, and the movable weight 33 moves up and down in the space SP3 in the cylindrical portion 16 so as to approach to or separate from the introduction port 11, and the movable weight 33 opens and closes the introduction port 11.

Next, the lower kneader 43 will be explained. In the present embodiment, the lower kneader 43 is illustrated as being substantially the same size as the upper kneader 3, but the size is not limited thereto.

The lower kneader 43 includes a pair of rotors 44 arranged in the horizontal direction, a casing 45 in which a chamber C2 surrounding the rotors 44 is formed, and a lifting gate 64 provided on the casing 45, as in the upper kneader 3.

The pair of rotors 44 are arranged horizontally with a gap SP2 therebetween, and rotate about axes O4 and O5, respectively.

The lift gate 64 includes a pivot support 65 that pivots about an axis O6 parallel to the axes O4 and O5, and a gate portion 68.

The gate portion 68 has a pair of curved surfaces 70 formed with a projection 69.

On the other hand, unlike the upper kneader 3, the lower kneader 43 does not have a structure corresponding to the movable weight 33 and the driving part 36, but instead includes a sensor 80 provided in the casing 45 and a control part 82 that controls the rotation of the rotor 44 based on the detection result of the sensor 80.

The housing 45 has: a main body 50 having a chamber C2, an inlet 51, and an outlet 52, which are the same as those of the upper kneader 3; a cylindrical portion 56 extending upward from the main body portion 50; the lifting gate support portion 59 is formed with a cylindrical portion 60 and a plate portion 61 extending downward, similarly to the upper kneader 3.

Unlike the cylindrical portion 16 of the upper kneader 3, the cylindrical portion 56 is inclined outward in the horizontal direction so that wall surfaces on both sides of the cylindrical portion 56 in the horizontal direction are separated from each other upward from the main body 50. The cylindrical portion 56 is connected to the lower portion of the plate-like portion 21 of the upper kneader 3.

That is, since the elevating gate support part 19 of the upper kneader 3 is connected to the cylindrical part 56 of the lower kneader 43, the discharge port 12 of the upper kneader 3 communicates with the introduction port 51 of the lower kneader 43. Therefore, the material W to be kneaded from the upper kneader 3 is introduced into the lower kneader 43.

The sensor 80 is, for example, an infrared sensor or the like, and is disposed above the pair of rotors 44 and penetrates horizontally through both wall surfaces of the cylindrical portion 56 of the housing 45. The sensor 80 detects the position of the material to be kneaded W in the vertical direction in the chamber C2 of the lower kneader 43.

The control section 82 controls the rotation of the rotor 44 when the sensor 80 detects that the kneaded material W is present at a predetermined height position in the vertical direction, for example, when the apex of the kneaded material W reaches the height position at which the cylindrical section 56 is provided in the present embodiment. In the present embodiment, the rotation control is control for changing the rotation speed of the rotor 44. The control unit 82 is mounted on the housing 45, for example.

Next, a specific example of the kneading method by the kneading system 1 of the present embodiment and the control by the control unit 82 will be described with reference to fig. 3.

First, the kneaded material W is introduced from the inlet 11 into the chamber C1 of the upper kneader 3, kneaded, and discharged from the outlet 12 (preliminary kneading step S0).

The kneaded material W discharged from the discharge port 12 is introduced into the chamber C2 from the inlet 51 of the lower kneader 43 (introducing step S1).

Thereafter, the mixture W is kneaded by rotating the pair of rotors 44 (kneading step S2).

Further, when the kneaded material W is kneaded while the kneading step S2 is being performed, the sensor 80 detects a variation in the vertical height position of the kneaded material W disposed between the pair of rotors 44 and the inlet 51 (detecting step S3).

Then, based on the detection result in the detection step S3, the rotation of the pair of rotors 44 is adjusted by the control unit 82 (adjustment step S4).

Now, with reference to fig. 2 and 4, a description will be given of a process flow of the control unit 82 during execution of the detection step S3 and the adjustment step S4.

Hereinafter, when a part of the material to be kneaded W is raised so as to be arranged in the cylindrical portion 56 in the vertical direction (see a raised portion X in fig. 2), a ratio of the amount of the raised portion X to the total amount (volume or weight) of the material to be kneaded W kneaded in the lower kneader 43 is defined as a%. The amount of the rising portion X is calculated, for example, from the distance from the apex of the rising portion X to the outer peripheral surface of the rotor 44 positioned uppermost, the thickness dimension in the horizontal direction, and the direction of the axes O4, O5.

The ratio of the time during which the rising portion X occurs to the mixing time of the material W in the lower mixer 43 is defined as B%.

The control unit 82 first starts time measurement (step S401). Thereafter, it is determined whether or not a certain time t has elapsed (step S402).

During the period of no determination at step S402, the measurement is continued, and the ratio a% during the fixed time t (the integrated value during the time t) is calculated from the detection result of the sensor 80, and the ratio B% during the fixed time t is calculated (step S403).

Then, a% × B is calculated (step S404).

Simultaneously with these steps S403 and S404, the period P of the rising portion X of the kneaded material occurring during the fixed time period t is calculated in advance (step S405).

when the time t elapses, that is, when it is determined yes in step S402, the measurement time is reset (step S406), and control is performed so that the rotational speed of the rotor 44 is reduced at the cycle P so that the numerical value of a% × B% during the next fixed time t becomes minimum (step S407).

As described above, the control unit 82 repeats the steps S401 to S407, that is, repeats the detection step S3 and the adjustment step S4 while executing the kneading step S2, thereby changing the rotation speed of the pair of rotors 44 in accordance with the period of the position variation of the kneaded material W in the vertical direction.

According to the kneading system 1 of the present embodiment described above, when the mixture W does not partially bite between the pair of rotors 44 and the rising portion X is generated while the mixture W is introduced into the chamber C2 of the lower kneader 43 and kneaded, the generation of the rising portion X can be detected by the sensor 80 as the positional variation in the vertical direction (height direction) of the mixture W.

further, the control unit 82 can cause the rising portion X to bite between the rotors 44 by a control method of increasing or decreasing the rotation speed of the rotors 44 based on the detection result of the sensor 80, that is, based on the value of a% × B% and the generation cycle P of the rising portion X.

Therefore, kneading failure due to the rise of the material W can be suppressed, and appropriate kneading can be performed depending on the material of the material W.

Further, by controlling the rotation of the rotor 44 by the sensor 80 and the controller 82, it is not necessary to take measures such as increasing the size of the chamber C2 of the lower kneader 43 to suppress the generation of the rising portion X of the material to be kneaded W, and the kneading system 1 can be made compact.

In the above case, the rotation of the pair of rotors 44 is adjusted by the control unit 82 in the adjusting step S4, but the rotation of the rotors 44 may be manually adjusted by the operator based on the detection result in the detecting step S3.

The upper kneader 3 is provided with a traveling weight 33, but it is not necessarily provided. On the other hand, a device corresponding to the traveling weight 33 may be provided in the lower kneader 43.

[ second embodiment ]

Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to fig. 5.

The same components as those of the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof is omitted.

The kneading system 1A of the present embodiment is the same as the first embodiment in that the controller 82A changes the rotation speed of the pair of rotors 44 in accordance with the period of the vertical positional variation of the kneaded material W, but differs from the first embodiment in the control method.

That is, when it is determined in step S402 whether or not the fixed time t has elapsed and it is determined not to be, the control unit 82A calculates the number of times the rising portion X is generated during the fixed time t, that is, the number N of times the position of the kneaded material W is detected by the sensor 80 as being varied in the vertical direction (step S413).

Then, the controller 82A decreases the rotation speed of the pair of rotors 44 by the same number N and the same cycle as that of the measurement number N during the next fixed time t (step S417). Thereafter, control is performed to repeat these steps.

according to the kneading system 1A of the present embodiment, as in the first embodiment, a control method is employed in which the rotation speed of the rotor 44 is increased or decreased in accordance with the period of variation in the height position of the rising portion X of the kneaded material W based on the detection result of the sensor 80 by the control unit 82A. Therefore, the rising portions X of the material W can be made to bite between the rotors 44, and kneading failure due to the occurrence of the rising portions X of the material W can be suppressed, and appropriate kneading can be performed depending on the material of the material W.

[ third embodiment ]

Next, a third embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to fig. 6.

The same components as those in the first and second embodiments are denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof is omitted.

In the kneading system 1B of the present embodiment, the sensor 80B is different from those of the first and second embodiments. That is, the sensor 80B of the present embodiment is a sensor that detects a pressure variation acting on the movable weight 33 to detect a pressure variation of the material to be kneaded W in the upper kneader 3B (first kneader).

Specifically, the pressure sensor is provided on at least one of the pair of cylinders 39 of the upper kneader 3B or the pipe thereof, and is capable of detecting the pressing force of the cylinder 39 on the movable weight 33.

When the pressing force of the cylinder 39 becomes equal to or greater than a predetermined value set in advance, the control unit 82B determines that the rising portion X has occurred in the kneaded material W, and executes, for example, the same processing flow as the processing flow of the control units 82 and 82A described in the first and second embodiments to control the rotation of the rotor 44 and suppress the occurrence of the rising portion X.

according to the kneading system 1B of the present embodiment, by detecting a variation in the pressing force of the cylinder 39 using the sensor 80B, it is possible to detect a variation in the pressure of the material to be kneaded W, that is, the occurrence of the rising portion X.

More specifically, when the rising portion X occurs in the kneaded material W, the rising portion X presses the movable weight 33, and the pressure acting on the movable weight 33 increases. Further, since the variation in the pressure acting on the movable weight 33 can be detected as the variation in the pressing force of the cylinder 39, the variation in the pressure of the material to be kneaded W, that is, the generation of the rising portion X of the material to be kneaded W can be detected.

further, by controlling the rotation of the pair of rotors 44 by the control section 82B based on the detection result of the sensor 80B, the rising portion X of the material to be kneaded W can be caused to bite between the pair of rotors 44, and more appropriate kneading can be performed.

Here, by gradually pushing the movable weight 33 into the inlet 11 at the initial stage of the start of kneading the material W and suppressing the generation of the rising portion X of the material W by the controller 82B, the time required to completely push the movable weight 33 into the inlet 11, that is, the time required to bite the material W at the initial stage of the start of kneading can be reduced.

Here, in the present embodiment, a position sensor (the sensor 80C) that detects the displacement of the movable weight 33 in the vertical direction by detecting the stroke amount of the cylinder 39 may be used instead of the sensor 80B that detects the pressure fluctuation acting on the movable weight 33.

Specifically, when the rising portion X occurs in the kneaded material W, the rising portion X presses the movable weight 33, and the movable weight 33 is pushed upward to cause a positional change, thereby causing a change in the stroke amount of the cylinder 39. Therefore, the sensor 80C can detect the vertical displacement of the movable weight 33 from the amount of change in the stroke of the cylinder 39, and can detect the occurrence of pressure fluctuations in the material W, that is, the occurrence of the rising portion X of the material W.

While the embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail with reference to the drawings, the configurations and combinations thereof of the embodiments are merely examples, and additions, omissions, substitutions, and other modifications of the configurations can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention. The present invention is not limited to the embodiments, but is only limited by the scope of the claims.

In the kneading system 1(1A, 1B) of the above embodiment, 2 kneading machines 2 are provided vertically, but for example, 2 kneading machines 2 may be arranged in a horizontal direction.

At this time, the sensors 80(80B, 80C) and the controllers 82(82A, 82B) may be provided in the respective kneading machines 2. When the sensor 80B (80C) is used, a movable weight 33 needs to be provided in each mixer 2.

When the rising portion X of the kneaded material W is displaced horizontally, the sensor 80 may detect the position of the rising portion X on the right and left sides, and the control unit 82 or the rotor 44 may manually control the rotation based on the detection result. At this time, for example, the position of the rising portion X in the left-right direction may be controlled by setting the pair of rotors 44 to different rotation speeds, thereby suppressing the occurrence of the rising portion X. In this case, the rising portion X can be more effectively caught between the pair of rotors 44.

When the rising portion X occurs, the rotation speed of the rotor 44 may be increased as the case may be, in addition to being decreased.

Industrial applicability

Description of the symbols

1. 1A, 1B-kneading system, 2-kneader, 3-upper kneader (second kneader), 3B-upper kneader (first kneader), 4-rotor, 5-housing, 10-main body, 11-inlet, 12-outlet, 15-drive section support, 16-barrel, 17-cap, 18-through hole, 19-lift gate support, 20-barrel, 21-plate, 24-lift gate, 25-rotation support, 28-gate, 29-protrusion, 30-curved surface, 33-movable weight, 34-protrusion, 35-curved surface, 36-drive section, 37-support bar, 38-upper support, 39-cylinder, 40-stationary member, 43-lower kneader (first kneader), 44-rotor, 45-housing, 50-main body, 51-inlet, 52-outlet, 56-cylindrical section, 59-lift gate support section, 60-cylindrical section, 61-plate section, 64-lift gate, 65-rotary support section, 68-gate section, 69-protrusion section, 70-curved surface, 80B, 80C-sensor, 82A, 82B-control section, X-rising section, C1, C2-chamber, SP1, SP 2-gap, SP 3-space, O1, O2, O3, O4, O5, O6-axis, W-kneaded material, W1-kneaded product, S0-premix step, S1-introduction step, s2-kneading step, S3-detecting step, S4-adjusting step.

Claims

1. A kneading system comprising a lower kneader and an upper kneader disposed above the lower kneader,

The lower kneader is provided with:

A pair of rotors arranged with a gap therebetween;

A housing having a chamber in which the pair of rotors are arranged, an inlet port through which a material to be kneaded is introduced into the chamber, and an outlet port through which the material to be kneaded is discharged from the chamber;

A sensor which is arranged above the pair of rotors and detects a change in position of the kneaded material; and

A control unit for controlling the rotation of the pair of rotors based on the detection result of the sensor,

The inlet of the lower kneader is not provided with a movable weight for blocking the inlet,

The upper kneader has a movable weight, and the kneaded material kneaded by the upper kneader is introduced from the inlet into the lower kneader and further kneaded.

2. The mixing system according to claim 1,

the sensor detects the position of the kneaded material in the vertical direction.

3. The mixing system according to claim 2,

The control unit changes the rotation speeds of the pair of rotors in accordance with a period of vertical positional variation of the kneaded material.

4. The mixing system according to any one of claims 1 to 3,

The sensor is also capable of detecting a positional variation of the kneaded material in a horizontal direction intersecting with a vertical direction,

The control unit controls the rotation of the pair of rotors in accordance with a positional variation of the kneaded material in the horizontal direction.

5. A method for producing a kneaded product by the kneading system according to any one of claims 1 to 4,

The method for producing the kneaded product includes:

An introducing step of introducing a kneaded material from the inlet into the chamber in which the pair of rotors arranged with a gap therebetween are disposed;

A kneading step of kneading the kneaded material introduced into the chamber by the pair of rotors;

A detection step of detecting a change in position of the kneaded material disposed between the pair of rotors and the introduction port while the kneaded material is being kneaded; and

an adjustment step of adjusting the rotation of the pair of rotors based on the detection result in the detection step,

And a kneading product is produced by continuing the kneading step while executing the detecting step and the adjusting step.